My Fearless Leader | Leonardo x Reader

Road to Recovery

Splinter went on to tell the rest of the story in Japan. The fire, Tang Shen dying in his arms, losing his daughter in the fire, and Oroku Saki getting away, leaving him and his family to perish.

"In my first battle here with the Shredder, you four were occupied with the Kraang portal and saving April. I came very close to defeating him that night. But Karai stopped me before I could deliver the blow... And when I saw her..." He stopped, staring off. Mikey sat up slowly, ready to offer consolation if he needed it. "I knew she was the child I thought I lost. That Saki didn't let her perish in the fire as well. He took her, and raised her to believe he was her father... and that I was the one to take Tang Shen away from her."

Leo looked at all of them, adding his piece. "Karai couldn't handle it when I insisted that Splinter was her true father. Because she has no idea."

"I'm so sorry, Sensei." April spoke softly.

Mikey's eyes widened. "Tang Shen was Karai's mother this whole time?"

"Miwa..." Donnie mumbled. He looked up, all eyes were on him. "That's what you called Karai just now, back at Shredder's lair... I had almost forgotten that... that was the name you gave to your daughter seventeen years ago..."

"That is correct. I saw the same little infant I knew so well, so long ago. There is no question, little Miwa has grown up under the corruption of The Shredder. He has poisoned her mind against me, and against all of you. But her reasonings for what she has done, no matter how misled, have stretched too far."

"Wait a minute..." Raph spoke up, and Leo sighed as he turned to him. "You knew this whole time?"

"And you actually tried to tell her this?" Donnie's eye ridge raised in question.

"And you didn't tell us?!" Raph exclaimed, getting closer.

"It wasn't my story to tell." Leo answered simply.

"Not to us, but to the merry murderess of our enemies– sure! What could go wrong?"

"It's different, it's not the same thing–"

"Does Y/n even know?"

"No. Of course not." Leo sputtered, and sighed frustratedly. "I didn't think it was right to tell her before I told you, and it didn't seem okay for you to know before Karai did, especially if Master Splinter wasn't ready for any of us to know."

"So all of this happened, because you wanted to play hero and tell the crazy girl her worst enemy is her father and that her entire life is a lie."

"No– I–" Anxiety started to creep up and grab at Leo to tear him apart.

"Wait! Maybe we should all just... breathe... just calm down." April got up before the energy could become chaotic again.

"Assigning blame will do nothing." Yoshi intercepted. "I told you so you could understand the gravity of the threat, and the weight of this vengeful burden Karai carries with her."

"Still. You went to her and– what?" Raph turned back to the leader, insistent on understanding. "Tried to tell her that the guy who she thinks is her father is the one who killed her mother? What were you thinking?!"